Editing Tapio Rautavaara (section)

== Life ==
===Early years===
Tapio Rautavaara was born in the municipality of Pirkkala (now [[Nokia, Finland|Nokia]]), a suburb of the industrial city of [[Tampere]], as the son of Henrik Kerttula and Hilda Rautavaara. Just three weeks later, his mother moved to the [[Helsinki]] suburb of [[Oulunkylä]], where she had lived before. Rautavaara's father was rarely at home, and soon left the family permanently. In 1921, Tapio and his mother moved to Tampere. Rautavaara used to have conflicts with his conservative teachers due to his working-class background. Tapio earned pocket money by selling socialist papers for local workers of the [[Finlayson (company)|Finlayson]] textile factory. Four years later, the family returned Oulunkylä, where Rautavaara lived the rest of his life.<ref name="palmen">{{cite web|url=http://tapiorautavaara.net/tapio_rautavaara_eng.pdf|title=Just a Vagabond|author=Palmén, Jussi|publisher=Rautavaara.net|accessdate=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221204635/http://tapiorautavaara.net/tapio_rautavaara_eng.pdf|archive-date=21 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the late 1920s, Rautavaara joined the local working-class sports club Oulunkylän Tähti (″Oulunkylä Star″) for practicing athletics.<ref name="palmen"/> Rautavaara's formal education ended at the elementary level.<ref name=sr/> By the outbreak of the Finnish [[Winter War]] in 1939, he had worked as a newspaper boy, roadworker, lumberjack and as a storeman at a co-operative mill. His [[Conscription|national military service]] was with the [[Finnish Navy]] in the mid 1930s.

===War time===
When the [[Winter War]] broke out the Navy was not very active in the war and Rautavaara was allowed to continue working at the Osuustukkukauppa (OTK) mill. However, when the [[Continuation War]] broke out he was called to the [[Finnish Army|army]] and he was assigned to the [[front line]] for the first year of the war. In the summer of 1942, Rautavaara was transferred to the war entertainment corps and worked for two years as a radio journalist in the frontier based [[Aunus Radio]]. During this time he became a known figure to the serving troops.<ref name=sr/> In the summer of 1944 the Finns [[Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive|had to pull out]] from [[East Karelia]] and Rautavaara's radio career ended.

===Sports career===
[[File:Kuuno Honkonen, Tapio Rautavaara, Pentti Siltaloppi and Salomon Könönen 1948.jpg|thumb|[[Kuuno Honkonen]], Tapio Rautavaara, [[Pentti Siltaloppi]] and [[Salomon Könönen]] at the 1948 Olympics]]
[[File:Tapio Rautavaara 1949b.jpg|thumb|Rautavaara in 1949]]
Rautavaara was a talented [[javelin throw]]er and [[archer]]. In 1937, he represented the [[Finnish Workers' Sports Federation]] at the [[Workers' Olympiads]] in Antwerp, finishing second in the javelin throw after his countrymen [[Erkki Autonen]].<ref name="palmen"/> After the World War II, Rautavaara won a European bronze medal in 1946, an Olympic gold medal in 1948, and five national titles in 1944–45, and 1947–49. He placed fifth at the [[1950 European Athletics Championships – Men's javelin throw|1950 European Championships]]. In archery Rautavaara won a team gold medal at the 1958 World Championships and a national title in 1955.<ref name=sr/>

===Music and acting career===
After the war Rautavaara met [[Reino Helismaa]], who composed and made the lyrics to ''Reissumies ja kissa'' (The Traveler and the Cat), which became Rautavaara's first hit. Composer [[Toivo Kärki]] joined this team, which produced over the next ten years many popular songs. In addition, Rautavaara composed and wrote the lyrics for many of his records. Rautavaara received gold records for the songs ''Isoisän olkihattu'' (Grandpa's Strawhat), ''Vain merimies voi tietää'' (Only a Sailor Could Know) and ''Häävalssi'' (The Wedding Waltz). The first song was written and composed by Rautavaara, the second one was composed by him and the lyrics were written by Heikki Saari.

Rautavaara, Helismaa and [[Esa Pakarinen]] toured Finland together at the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s. The touring stopped due to personal problems, but Rautavaara continued to record songs with Helismaa's lyrics until Helismaa's death in 1965. By the time of his death in 1979 Rautavaara had recorded about 300 songs.<ref name=sr/>

Rautavaara became one of the most beloved singers in Finland. Some of his famous songs include ''Isoisän olkihattu'' (Grandfather's Straw Hat), ''Reppu ja reissumies'' (The Backpack and the Traveler), ''Korttipakka'' ([[The Deck of Cards]]), ''Lapin jenkka'' (The Lappland Schottische), ''Juokse sinä humma'' (Run, Horse, Run), ''Kulkuri ja joutsen'' (The Tramp and the Swan), ''Tuopin jäljet'' (Marks of the Tankard), ''Sininen uni'' (Blue Dream) and ''Anttilan keväthuumaus'' (Anttila's Spring Fever).<ref name="AMG">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tapio-rautavaara-mn0000011078/biography |title=Biography |last=Birchmeier |first=Jason |website=All Music Guide |access-date= 26 December 2016}}</ref>

Rautavaara was cast as the [[protagonist]] in numerous Finnish films, and was also supposedly a candidate for the part of [[Tarzan]] after [[Johnny Weissmuller]] had quit his career.<ref name=sr/>

=== Later years ===
The peak of Rautavaara's popularity was in the 1950s, stretching into the early years of the 1960s. After that, his music was left in the shadow of [[rautalanka]] and tango music and the popularity of the television. He continued to perform regularly, however, right up until his death, even though his gigs in the 1970s were for smaller audiences, such as in [[department store]]s and [[topping out]] ceremonies.